Head Start Core Values

Head Start Core Values



Quality



Inclusion  Empowerment



Collaboration



Learning



Advocacy  Wellness



Nurturing



Diversity



Continuity

Purpose of Head Start

Head Start is a national program that promotes school readiness by

enhancing the social and cognitive development of children through the provision of educational, health, nutritional, social and other services to enrolled children and families.

Goal of Head Start

To provide to low-income children and their families health, educational, nutritional, social and other services that are determined to be necessary based upon the family needs assessments.

Head Start Principles

 Establishes learning environments for children, parents and staff  Parents are seen as the primary

educators and nurturers of and advocates for their children

 Recognizes that the members of HS community have roots in many cultures

 Understands that the empowerment of families occurs when program governance is shared

 Embraces a comprehensive vision of health for children, families and staff  Respects the importance of all

aspects of an individual’s development

 Builds a community in which each child and adult is treated as an individual, at the same time,

belonging to the group is reinforced  Fosters relationships with the larger

community

 Develops an uninterrupted

continuum of care of education and services

 Each service is responsive to each child and family’s development, ethnic, cultural, and linguistic heritage and experiences

 Strives for excellence and quality in program management

MISSION

We hold ourselves accountable to work in collaboration with our

families and communities to provide a quality program, committed to the

wellness of the entire family.

PHILOSOPHY

See a child as they are meant to be.

VISION

A program where pre-school age children are provided an early

educational experience that will build the foundation to become a life

long learner.

Service Area

The Choctaw Nation operates a Head Start program in the 10-county service area. There are a total of 13 centers with 19 classrooms in the following counties; Atoka, Bryan, Choctaw, Coal, Haskell, Latimer, LeFlore, McCurtain, Pittsburg and Pushmataha.

Population Served

3 to 5 Year-Old Low Income Children and Families

Funded Enrollment

310

Total Children and Families Served

342

Percentage of Income Eligible Children Served

89%

Center Locations

Antlers

Atoka

Bennington

Broken Bow

Coalgate

Durant

Hugo

Idabel

McAlester

Poteau

Stigler

Wilburton

Wright City

Choctaw Nation Head Start Health Services

GOAL:

To ensure that, through collaboration among families, staff and health professionals, all child and health developmental concerns are identified, and children and families are linked to an ongoing source of continuous,

Choctaw Nation Head Start Nutrition Services

GOALS:

To build, within the service area, community awareness on the impact of both, obesity and healthy weight, on young children’s cognitive, social and emotional growth and development in later life.

To provide a nutrition program for young children in supporting sound nutrition and healthy choices.

Choctaw Nation Head Start Early Childhood Development

PHILOSOPHY:

Preparing children for a life time of learning.

GOALS:

To provide quality comprehensive early childhood education

services that enhance children’s abilities to succeed in school and later life. To provide a learning environment that enhances children’s knowledge of Choctaw language and culture.

To provide a program that enhances children’s social/emotional skills.

School Readiness

Preparing students for kindergarten is very important to the Choctaw Nation Head Start. The core curriculum for the program; Creative

Curriculum, is a comprehensive early childhood educational system that has been shown to promote the cognitive, language, social/emotional, and

physical development of young children. It is linked to a comprehensive, ongoing assessment with developmental and learning goals including measurable objectives. In addition, Second Step Curriculum is utilized to provide mental and safety health. The program has also initiated two supplemental curriculums to enhance nutrition and physical education for the children and families; Growing Strong Bodies & Minds and CATCH!

The program has benefited from three literacy grants; Project Light, Early Reading First (Project Learn), and Demonstration Grant. The grants helped enhance efforts towards literacy development for children and

families while providing the program with additional literacy materials for the classroom along with literacy curriculums which are still being utilized.

The program works closely with families and also collaborates with local public schools to ensure optimal transition services are provided to further the success of Head Start children. Some of these transition activities include:

 Local public school staff attend Head Start parent meetings to orientate parents.

 Parents are invited to tour local schools before their child enters kindergarten.

 Staff from both programs work together to determine local requirements of each

Children’s Educational Progress

The Choctaw Nation Head Start utilizes the Creative Curriculum Developmental Continuum Assessment System as a tool to monitor the progress of children’s learning. The chart below shows the percentage of children that progressed for the school year in five of the areas.

Choctaw Nation Head Start Family & Community Partnerships

PHILOSOPHY:

Parent Involvement promotes lifelong learning while

strengthening families in the community they live.

GOAL

:

To support parents as they identify and meet their own goals, nurture

the development of their children in the context of their family and culture, and advocate for communities that are supportive of children and families of all cultures

Choctaw Nation Head Start Parent Involvement

The Choctaw Nation Head Start encourages parent participation in the program. Opportunities for parental involvement within the program are provided during the year through:

 Parent Meetings  Parent Training  Community Events  Cultural Events  Home Visits  Parent/Teacher Conferences  Field Trips  Parent Committees  Policy Council  Volunteering  Self-Assessment Process

 Community Assessment Process

Fatherhood/Male Involvement Project, Good Guys, activities include:  Movie Night

 Birdhouse Construction  Kite Flying

 End-of-year cookout for children & families

Disability Services

PHILOSOPHY:

Focusing on children’s abilities, not their disabilities to help them reach their potential.

GOAL:

Ensure that children with disabilities enrolled in Head Start receive all the services to which they are entitled under the Head Start Performance Standards.

Choctaw Nation Head Start Mental Health Services

PHILOSOPHY:

Mental wellness of children and families improves the ability to learn.

GOAL:

Build collaborative relationships among children, families, staff, mental health professionals, and the larger community, in order to enhance awareness and understanding of mental wellness and the contribution that mental health information and services can make to the wellness of all children and families.

Culture

The Head Start multi-cultural program continues to be updated and expanded to provide new materials for the teaching staff, which along with their own creative ideas, expose the children to a wide variety of cultures. The teaching staff and parents working together provide Choctaw cultural experiences in language, music, nutrition, dress, games, traditional dance and other activities. The Choctaw Nation Language Curriculum is integrated daily in each center to expose the children to traditional folk tales, correct pronunciation of Choctaw words and phrases and the culture. Choctaw language courses, presented by the Choctaw Language Department, have assisted the teachers and parents in learning the language.

Funding & Budgetary Expenditures

Funding

Federal Funds Grant Award $2,383,536.00 Tribal Supplemental $2,060,001.00 USDA Meal Reimbursement $218,907.00 Total $ 4,662,444.00

Expenditures

Wages $1,746,297.00 Fringe $549,969.00 Travel $31,480.00 Supplies $357,016.00 Contractual $1,277,861.00 Telephone $45,647.00 Utilities $65,901.00 Vehicle/Gas $78,636.00 Lease/Rent $115,086.00 Insurance $45,278.00 Licenses $2,432.00 Registration $1,115.00 Training $26,149.00 Bus Purchases $157,000.00 Indirect Cost $162,577.00 Total $4,662,444.00

Audits & Reviews

Triennial Federal Review

The most recent review occurred by the Office of Head Start in December of 2007. During the review the program’s effectiveness in delivering

services to children and families was monitored based on requirements set forth by the regulating agency. The program had NO non-compliances in the areas of Health Services, Nutritional Services, Safe Environments, Mental Health Services, Disabilities Services, Family and Community Partnerships, Transportation, Education and Early Childhood Development Services and Program Design and Management. The review did however; identify one noncompliance concerning documentation of matching requirements of donated items to a center and types of donations. A corrective action plan was put into place immediately which was accepted by the funding agency and the noncompliance was corrected which brought the program into full compliance.

Financial Audit

The audit completed for the year ending September 30, 2009, did not contain any findings pertaining to the Choctaw Nation Head Start program.